


Trauma Buddies

by lenasmagic (dimensionhoppingrose)



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Allusions to PTSD, Bonding over trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Other, Spoilers, Spoilers for 2x19 to the finale, They both need therapy, cameos from other characters - Freeform, mentions of child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 21:55:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20628140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimensionhoppingrose/pseuds/lenasmagic
Summary: One of them was trapped in the cruel void of space. One of them was trapped in the infinite night of the Shadow Realm. At least they can both laugh about it. Sort of.(or: Della and Lena bond over shared traumatic experiences)





	Trauma Buddies

**Author's Note:**

> These two need a scene together next season. Based on this parallel I found from Nightmare on Killmotor Hill and The Richest Duck in the World:
> 
> https://lenasmagic.tumblr.com/post/187656353452/lena-della-just-send-them-to-therapy

Sometimes, Della liked the quiet.

Rarely. If there was no noise in the house, she usually had to make some, just to remind herself that she was _home_, not in the empty void of space where all sound was swallowed up. It had led to more than one three a.m. session with her in the rec room blasting music. No one was amused.

But today, it was quiet, and she was enjoying it. Scrooge had taken the kids off on a last-minute thing and said something about crash capability being important (Della hadn’t asked). And she really didn’t want to be on the plane when Launchpad crashed it. So she’d waved them off and went to make herself some breakfast. Beakley was out running errands. Donald was taking a nap on his boat. Maybe Della would go bother him. It was starting to get _too _quiet.

She was in the den, trying to watch TV and enjoy herself and the solitude – she was definitely going to bother Donald soon – when the front door opened. “Hey!” She jumped up, thrilled, and hurried out to the foyer. “You guys back already--?”

Instead of finding her family, she found a teenager with a striped sweater and a lock of dyed pink hair. “Sorry to get your hopes up,” she said, closing the door.

“How… I thought I locked that.”

“I have a key.”

“Scrooge gave you a key?”

The teen raised an eyebrow. “Who said anything about gave?” Okay, Della liked her. “Webby home?”

“Nah, she left with Scrooge and the boys for the day. Something about a lead on some ancient… honestly I stopped listening when Scrooge said I couldn’t pilot.”

“Great.” The girl groaned. “Violet has some test or something and if I’m alone with her dad for too long he tries to cook like five meals.”

“And you don’t like eating?”

“Not five meals in two hours. He’s convinced I never eat for some reason.” Della could see why. The sweater was way too big for her, and she was obviously very skinny. “I’m not walking back down that hill. Or going back until I know Violet’s home.”

And with that she headed for the den. Very blunt and up front. Della could appreciate that. “Hey, we haven’t met, have we? I’m--”

“Della, I know,” the girl assured her, flopping back in one of the overstuffed armchairs. “I was still living in Webby’s shadow when you came back.” She paused. “Sorry, I’m Lena.”

“Um… shadow?” Della went to sit on the couch, muting the TV.

“You know Magica de Spell?” Della nodded. “I’m her sentient shadow brought to life with the sole purpose of hunting down Scrooge McDuck and getting his number one dime to free her so she can kill him and take over the world.” Della blinked a few times. “I went rogue.”

“Clearly. So you were living in Webby’s shadow? Did you see everything going on around here?”

“Right up until I got out. Which was like… a week after you came back. And, yes, I do know your whole tragic backstory. Ten years on the moon and all that. How did you _breathe_?”

“Oh, well Gyro – do you know Gyro?”

“Crazy scientist?”

“Yup. Anyway he made this gum, it’s called OxyChew, and it’s _terrible_, the only flavor is black licorice, but you know, you’ll do anything to survive.” She was digging absentmindedly through her pockets as she spoke, finding a piece of the gum. “And it lasts forever, like – wait, why am I carrying this?!”

Lena coughed, trying to hide a laugh, and Della shot her a playful glare. “No, trust me, I’m not laughing at you,” she said quickly. “I can relate.”

“Oh yeah?”

“I was stuck in the Shadow Realm for… six months or a year or something I don’t know, time is meaningless. And I got really used to being able to do things like walk through walls.”

“Oh no.” Della knew where this was going.

“I _still_ walk into my bedroom door if someone closes it while I’m sleeping. And I’m not sure how to explain that I leave it open because sometimes when I’m half awake I think I’m still a shadow and walk face-first into solid objects.”

Della laughed before she could stop herself. “Fair. I still forget about Earth gravity. Tried to jump onto the wing of the Cloud Slayer once… ouch.”

“The what?”

“Ugh. _Sun Chaser_. Who even named it that?”

“Is Cloud Slayer somehow better?”

Della threw a pillow at Lena, and was surprised when it stopped mid-air. “Whoa.”

“Oh, yeah, I also got all of Magica’s powers because the amulet she used is currently in my chest.”

“Right, of course.”

* * *

Duckworth floated passed the den, seeing to some dusting in the foyer – Beakley _always _neglected the foyer. Honestly…

“Okay, wait, so you’re still technically a shadow? But you look like a duck. Why did Magica make you a _teenager_?”

“I have no idea, I don’t think there was time for much planning before Scrooge sucked her into his dime. But yeah, kind of still a shadow. Not sure how it works now.”

Duckworth peeked into the den, raising an eyebrow when he saw Della with Webby’s friend – the rude magic one, sitting in one of the armchairs like she owned the place.

“Could you turn back _into_ a shadow? You know, like phase back and forth? Might help with your walking through walls thing.”

Lena blinked, mouth hanging open. “I… never thought of that. Maybe? We’ve only been practicing with simple stuff. I’ve been trying to learn how to teleport. Got stuck in the Shadow Realm for a couple hours and had to communicate with Violet through a Ouija board until I could get out.”

“_Yikes_.” Della’s voice softened a bit. “So you could… end up stuck back there?”

“Well, I have a physical body to anchor me to this world. I’m sure I can always find a way back.” She didn’t _sound_ entirely sure of that. Della straightened up slightly and closed the space between them, resting her hand over Lena’s. “I can’t get stuck there again. It would kill Webby.”

“Hey, you just said it yourself. You can always find a way back.”

And Lena smiled slightly. “Yeah. Right.”

* * *

Beakley nudged the door shut behind her, gathering the grocery bags to carry into the kitchen. She had no idea if Scrooge and the kids would be home tonight, but Donald could have the leftovers if this turned into an overnight thing.

“...and I _know_ I’m always carrying it!” She paused when she heard Della talking. Not _exactly_ an odd occurrence – Della had a habit of muttering to herself. But she was usually quieter. “I just can’t stop!”

“Why?” That was Lena. Beakley tilted her head in confusion.

“I have no idea! I take it out of my pocket, I throw it out, I flush it down the toilet, I lit it _on fire_ once, but I keep finding pieces!”

Beakley crept over to the den door. Lena and Della were sitting on the couch together; Della was waving around a stick of gum. “Have you asked anyone to look around your room? Maybe you’re hiding it without realizing.”

“I can’t ask anyone to search my room for _gum_, they’ll think I’m insane. I mean, they _already_ think I’m insane - I don’t think I helped myself much with that breakdown on the beach.”

“What happened?”

“I uh… I kind of freaked out when the Moonlanders invaded. They were coming after my boys and I snapped. Took them and Webby and got the heck out of dodge.”

“Is _that_ where she was the entire time? I was trying to call her after everyone else was caught.”

“You got away?”

“Yeah, Violet and I hid out in the woods. Then came here when it started getting too cold to be outside. No idea what was going on, of course. Who lets two kids run out onto the battlefield?”

“Scrooge.” Della snorted. “We crash landed on an island and I went a liiiiiiiiittle over the edge. It was like the moon all over again. I even had a piece of gum!” She threw her hands in the air. “And then I kicked Donald’s watermelon friend into the ocean. Don’t even ask, that’s another story entirely.”

“Right. Let me see that.”

Lena plucked the stick of gum from Della’s grasp, cupping her hands around it. They flared pink for a moment, and when she opened her hands, the gum was gone. “Whoa. Where’d it go?”

“Pocket dimension. It’s like having a bag, except way better because I never run out of room.” She waved a hand, summoning her phone up. “Hmn. Violet must still be in her test. Anyways, I’ll throw the gum away when I get home. Maybe distance will help.”

“Yeah.” There was a small smile on Della’s beak. “Maybe.”

* * *

“Hey Mrs. B,” Donald said with a yawn as he walked into the kitchen. “Have you seen Della?” He’d actually gotten a full four or so hours of sleep without her harassing him. A new record.

“Last I checked, she and Lena were bonding in the den.”

“...What?”

They were both lying on the couch now, Della on one end, Lena on the other, their backs against the arms so they were facing each other. Donald hid around the corner, peeking in.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m still waiting for Webby to hate me. I know I hurt them when they found out I was Magica’s shadow.”

“Nah, Webby loves you. She told me about you, ya know. Well, you probably do since you were living in her shadow and all.”

“I tried to give her privacy when I could.”

“She was telling me she lost a friend. She didn’t mention the friend was Magica de Spell’s sentient shadow, but I don’t need all the details. She kept talking about how great you are, and how much she missed you and she wished she could get you back.”

Lena’s eyes fell to her hands. She was fiddling with a bracelet on her wrist. “It’s hard to believe that sometimes.”

“Is that why you didn’t accept Scrooge’s offer?”

“Yeah.” The teen sighed. “I appreciate it and all, but I don’t… belong here. You know, you all have this tight-knit thing, and I’m just sort of the hang-on. It’s easier to stay with Violet and her dads.”

“You’re not a hang-on.” Della nudged Lena’s leg with her foot. “Webby _loves_ you. And it sounds like you’re welcome to come and go as you please. Say the word, and you could be upstairs picking out a bedroom right now.”

Lena shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe someday. I don’t think I’m ready to part of something bigger yet.”

“That’s fair.” Della’s shoulders fell. “Sometimes I wonder if everyone would’ve been better off if I hadn’t come home. I thought they knew I was alive.”

“_Seriously_? How would they?”

“I was sending transmissions to them the entire time. Well, I guess I trailed off a bit in that last year. But in my defense, I also finished the entire rocket, so I think I can be excused. Not that it _matters,_ because apparently my videos never made it here. I celebrated the boys’ first birthday, their first Christmas, I told them stories, I sang to them, and all of that was just… lost in some technological void. Their entire lives were built around thinking I was dead. Or I’d abandoned them. I hope Donald wouldn’t let them think that. He sang my lullaby to them, so I guess they had a piece of me. But they’ve never _needed_ a mother. They had Donald. And then Scrooge. And all I did was bring home an alien invasion and a boatload of abandonment issues.”

“Hey, I’d switch places with them in a heartbeat. Multiple caring and well-meaning adults raising me and making sure I don’t turn out to be a total idiot? Sign me up. Even if one or two of them came in ten years late. The only concept of family I have is a verbally abusive aunt ordering me around and brainwashing me into thinking I’m worthless without her. At least you cared.”

“Is Magica still working on Funso’s? Just curious. Definitely not thinking about going to punch her or anything.”

“Subtle.” Lena rolled her eyes. “No, I think she skipped town after the whole villain team-up thing. So glad I missed that. Webby and I went to check a few days later because letting her around children just seems like such a bad idea. And I speak from experience. But the boss said she hadn’t shown up.”

“Shame."

Donald smiled sadly and backed up, returning to the kitchen. “Are they still talking?” Beakley asked, not looking up from the vegetables she was cutting.

“Yup.”

“Must be long overdue.”

* * *

“That was _awesome_!”

“I almost died!”

“That’s nothing new.”

Scrooge chuckled as he followed the boys in, Webby behind him. Another successful endeavor, of course. Save for Louie almost falling into a death trap.

He paused in the foyer when he heard Della in the den. It was taking some time to get used to hearing her voice again. Not that he minded. Webby stopped next to him when another voice started talking.

“Is that… Lena?”

They exchanged looks, then walked to the den door, peering in. All they could see was the back of Della’s head on the couch, and a pair of familiar green shoes dangling over the arm. “And what do I even _say_? No, Mr. Sabrewing, I’m fine, really, I was just dreaming about monsters in my shadows again. They’re already ridiculously accepting about all of this. I’m not sure how much more I can put on them. I feel like I’m just too much for everybody.”

“Anyone who says you’re too much isn’t worth the time of day.”

“_I _think I’m too much.”

“Well, you’re wrong. People who love you will never push you away, no matter how much baggage you have.”

“You said like five minutes ago you worry about the boys hating you.”

“I’m a hypocrite, what do ya want from me?”

They both giggled. Webby and Scrooge just stared, mouths hanging open. “What in the...”

“They’ve been at it for at least six hours,” Beakley spoke up behind them.

“Nine,” Duckworth amended, floating up from the floor.

“Wow. That is...”

“Impressive.”

“Sometimes I have to give myself a pep talk before I go outside,” Della said. “Everything is so _bright_.”

“Feel that,” Lena agreed. “The only thing that gets me out of the house sometimes is Violet. Literally. She nags me until I follow her outside. Usually to the library. She and Mrs. Quackfaster have a thing. I think she’s Violet’s Scrooge. Which is frightening.”

“The librarian from the bin?”

“Yeah, she works at the public library on the weekends.”

“She should definitely not be anyone’s Scrooge. Scrooge shouldn’t be anyone’s Scrooge.”

“I dunno, it could be worse. Someone could have a Magica.”

“Ugh. I’m going to punch her.”

“She’s almost too pathetic to punch, honestly.”

“_Almost_.”

“Dinner’s ready if you can get the two of them off the couch,” Beakley told Scrooge and Webby. “They’ve been mostly oblivious to… everything.”

“Right...” Scrooge lifted a hand, knocking on the door frame. Della jumped, looking over her shoulder, and Lena sat up, blinking.

“Uncle Scrooge! That was quick.”

“Uh… We’ve been gone for twelve hours.”

“No way,” Lena protested. “I got here at like, nine.”

“It’s almost seven,” Webby pointed out. Lena frowned, waving a hand and pulling her cell phone out of thin air.

“Oh. Yeah, it is. I have three missed calls from both Mr. Sabrewings. Webby can I sleep over?”

“Sure.”

“Cool.” Lena hit call and stood up, wandering out of the den with the phone pressed to her ear. “I’m sorry, I lost track of time, I think I’m just going to crash here for the night...”

Webby followed after her, still wide-eyed. Della rubbed the back of her head as she walked to he uncle. “How much of that did you hear?”

“We walked in somewhere around Lena not having too much baggage.”

“I clearly have no sense of time. That could’ve been an hour ago.”

“It was five minutes.” Scrooge rested a hand on Della’s shoulder, sighing. “Come on, sounds like you haven’t had anything to eat today.”

“Huh. I guess not.” Della shrugged. “Webby’s friend is pretty cool, though.”

Scrooge looked across the foyer, finding Webby and Lena standing near the stairs, chatting animatedly. “She is.”

He made a mental note to pull them both aside later and ask about therapy.


End file.
